Coach Meyer had a reason to be frustrated last Saturday- the Buckeye defense had served up a heap of stuffing to Indiana’s run game when the flag fluttered to the ground… Patrick: After watching several replays, this is straight a blown call. Horse collar rules states “inside the shoulder pads” and clearly Washington has a […]

Coach Meyer had a reason to be frustrated last Saturday- the Buckeye defense had served up a heap of stuffing to Indiana’s run game when the flag fluttered to the ground…

Patrick: After watching several replays, this is straight a blown call. Horse collar rules states “inside the shoulder pads” and clearly Washington has a fist full of jersey. The officials conferenced for a few seconds after flag and I guarantee one official was asking, “Are you sure you saw that, cause I have a tackle” (yes, been in a few of those conversations).

WVaBuckeye: What can be confusing to the average Joe and even to someone that officiated at the high school level, why the difference in the rule?

In high school the rule is simple. If they grab them anywhere in the collar from the sides to the back, inside the jersey OR the shoulder pads and being them down immediately and without assistance, it’s a horse collar. Most people don’t realize that it’s inside shoulder pads in the college and NFL levels.

Clearly on this play two things happen that eliminate it from being a horse collar. First he had all jersey and secondly he doesn’t bring him straight down as the safety rule is intended. What I don’t understand is that they come together to discuss it and still roll with the flag.

I would really like for Ohio State to challenge this after the fact so that the B1G had to explain. We don’t usually hear about single plays that good crews botch.

Enhance…

Charles:By rule, a horse collar in college has to grab the inside of the jersey/shoulder pads from behind or the inside of the shoulder pads from the side and immediately pulling the ball carrier down. The tackler on this play clearly gets his hand up near the collar of the jersey but doesn’t get his hand inside it; this can clearly be seen on the replay but of course officials don’t have the privilege of using replay when calling penalties.

Based on my watching of the play, this is a case where the calling official made the mistake of calling what he assumed happened, not what he saw happened. The official saw the hand go up toward the collar and the ball carrier get pulled down, now a lot of the time that means a horse collar happened and its likely the official went through that line of thought and threw the flag.

This play is an example of why officials are taught to make sure they clearly see something before you call it, I’m not calling a horse collar unless I clearly see the defenders hand go inside the jersey/shoulder pads. In the end this is a blown call and I’m sure the crew will be discussing it at length during their weekly film session.

9.1.15 Horse Collar Tackle. All players are prohibited from grabbing the inside back collar of the shoulder pads or jersey, or the inside collar of the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, and immediately pulling the ball carrier down. This does not apply to a ball carrier, including a potential passer, who is inside the tackle box (Rule 2-34). Note that the tackle box disintegrates when the ball leaves it.

Mechanics: On this play, the officials with the best view of this action are the Referee, Center Judge, Umpire, and the wing official on the IU sideline- I think this is the Headlines. The HL is going to be primary to rule on forward progress and has certainly read run on this play and is switching from point of attack blocks to the ball carrier as this action occurs.

Nice Jersey, Bro

Philosophy: For it to be a horsecollar tackle, but philosophy, several components must occur. First, the ball carrier must be restricted by a defender grabbing the inside of the collar. Second, the ball carrier must lose his feet as a result of the tackle occurring by the grabbing of the collar (often this results in the ball carrier going down on his back with his feet flying up off of the turf). In other words, if the defender grabs the collar but then comes through and use his body to make the carrier go down (often times when this occurs, the ball carrier will fall forward or to the side) it will not be a foul.

Several elements of this play are interesting. First, the ball carrier does lose his feet in a manner that would be consistent with a horsecollar tackle. Second, the tackle occurs just outside the tackle box, which is an element that must be met by rule for this action to be a foul. I think it is highly likely that this was the reason the officials gathered to discuss- it was not centered on whether or not the restriction was inside the collar or not but on where the ball carrier was when the tackle happened. Third, the defensive player clearly does NOT restrict the ball carrier on the inside of the collar.

The BIG crew got this wrong and will be downgraded because the action fooled them into believing a foul occurred when it did not. This most often happens in face mask situations- you see the runners head twist or dip but you do not see the grab and turn by the defender. On film review, you see it was just an arm across the facemask that caused the action and you missed the call. Same thing here. The runner lost his feet but the official never saw the hand inside the collar.

On a side note, how scary strong is Adolphus Washington to pull this play off? Crazy.

After Further Review: Horsecoller? Horsecrap.

I’m thankful that it didn’t cost the Buckeyes the game, although it did cost them a three and out. The B1G’s officials do what they do and absolutely missed this one… I hope that their gravy is lumpy at dinner today.

Headed down the streetch and within striking distance of a playoff spot, the Buckeyes did themselves some good by defeating the Gophers in one of the coldest games in college football in fifty years. The struggle was adjusting to the cold for some, but the hot nature of the level that some of them play […]

Headed down the streetch and within striking distance of a playoff spot, the Buckeyes did themselves some good by defeating the Gophers in one of the coldest games in college football in fifty years. The struggle was adjusting to the cold for some, but the hot nature of the level that some of them play at kept them cozy for the day. Let’s see what the gang has to say about the best of the best in Ohio State football!

Offensive

tOSU Offensive MVP

I am thinking that JTB needs something signature move after a big play, nahhh he’s too humble for that

Mali – JT Barrett. Again.

MDotySr – JT Barrett

Patrick – JT Barrett

Ken – JT Barrett

Scott – JT Barrett

WVa – Who would have thought that we would be discussing JT Barrett as a front runner for the B1G Offensive POTY at this point in the season three months ago. Maybe about 1% of Buckeye Nation had an inkling he would be going toe to toe with Melvin Gordon for the honors, and no one had him in the Heisman race, period. What he did Saturday in breaking the single game rushing mark, third longest TD ever in Ohio State history(longest for a QB) and setting the new bar for TD’s in a season at 38? Simply Wow! Grab some popcorn, some more records falling this Saturday.

tOSU O-line MVP

Mali – Hmmmm… Jacoby Boren. Continues to play at a high level, in spite of the doubters

MDotySr – The Whole Unit!!!

Patrick – Jacoby Boren

Ken – no one stuck out, they all must have been OK

Scott – Jacoby Boren

WVa – I have been a Boren family fan since the eldest left TTUN and came here which set off a chain reaction of brothers following suit. There’s a reason the two older brothers said Jacoby has always played with more of an edge than them, he has always had to put up with being called smallish for a center. I think he is more than making up for it in the way he’s destroying nose guards and DT’s.

tOSU Offensive Top Play

JT JT JT . . , pretty sure this chant is coming

Mali – I’m going with the WR screen for Ohio State’s last TD. Regained momentum, and made me happy to see a screen work at Ohio State

MDotySr – JT’s big run for the initial TD!

Patrick – screen to Evan Spencer

Ken – Barrett’s 86 yard TD run to get the scoring started

Scott – JT calls his own number for 86

WVa – Sometimes, you just know as soon as a play starts that it’s going to the house. Beanie against TTUN, Eddie against ND, and Ginn against MSU the year he scored in multiple ways. I just knew that JT was taking an epic trip to the end zone on Saturday. He had the fastest of the Gopher secondary chasing him so I am sure that’s why he was smoking down the field.

MDotySr – EZE but hard to say Unsung but does so many things very well!!!

Patrick – Evan Spencer

Ken – Ezekiel Elliott’ he had a “quiet” 91 yards rushing and threw some nice blocks for JT.

Scott – Jalin Marshall

WVa – I am jumping on the Scott bandwagon here. Jalin Marshall has had happen to him that happend to JT Barrett. He was moving along enjoying his role on the team with very little pressure to do more than just perform and gain some yardage, make big plays. Now he has replaced Dontre Wilson pretty much full time and the pressure hit just a little bit on Saturday. He still showed what he is capable of and made up for his mistakes.

Defensive

I’m sorry I can’t shrug right now, My arms are frozen to him

tOSU Defensive MVP

Mali – Vonn Bell- Play after play when they were needed

MDotySr – Doran Grant, making plays and the big INT!

Patrick – Joey Bosa

Ken – Adolphus Washington; led the team in tackles. He was solid

Scott – Joey Bosa

WVa – Is there anyone taking anonymity in stride more than Adolphus Washington? Every Saturday teams game plan for Bennett and Bosa and all Washington does is perform his duties at a high level. The plays he is making as teams run more at him is becoming pretty consistent. There were some issues against the Gophers run game but Washington wasn’t the problem.

tOSU D-line MVP

Mali – Bosa was disruptive, but Bennett did a lion’s share of the work when needed to stop the Gophers’ running game

MDotySr – Joey Bosa……ALL “FREAKING” AMERICAN!!!

Patrick – Joey Bosa

Ken – Bosa had a much better game this week; even recorded 1.5 sacks

Scott – Joey Bosa

WVa – Joey Bosa can only be slowed, never stopped. He showed America Saturday what happens if you let off the gas against him. Sparty had the right plan even with moving Bosa around you usually saw Conklin pull and go find him and really, unless you are a RB with Penn State, Bosa is going to try and beat you by going around you. Redirecting his path seems to be the best defense against him and even though the Gophers tried, his redirected path was to the inside and into the path of oncoming traffic. I guess Mr. Bosa is a fast learner.

Lock down corner had a nice pick six that got called back for DPI, not a good call

tOSU Defensive Top Play

Mali – Doran Grant’s Pick Six. And that’s what it was… no penalty.

MDotySr – Doran Grant Int!!!

Patrick – Doran Grant int

Ken – Vonn Bell’s 4th quarter interception, it set up the short field for the winning TD

Scott – Doran Grant int

WVa – I have not been bashfull about how big a fan I am of Doran Grant. Then again, I have seen his talent first hand in the playoffs against Mooney his senior year. I was the back judge on that game and had to chase him more than one time. His pick six was something he didn’t do that night but he did have an INT. His pick six Saturday was a good showing of the type of speed he has and maybe they should get him the ball on punt returns.

tOSU Defensive Unsung

Mali – Adolphus Washington. Not outstanding on the scoresheet, but did his work nontheless.

WVa – Curtis Grant has been as solid as anyone inside and more times than not he is the first to get blocked at the second level. McMillan is getting more playing time because of the type of player he is, not because of the player Grant isn’t. CG is doing a great job and should get credit for it.

Odds and Ends

tOSU Special Teams MVP

Mali – Kerry Coombs. No sleeves, no problems

MDotySr – Nuernberger

Patrick – just for Mali, the long snapper

Ken – no one

Scott – Kerry Coombs. Stud.

WVa – I am wondering if anyone is actually watching kick-offs and punts? Kyle Clinton deserves some time as a LB after what he did to the returner on Saturday.

WVa – I was on the fence just a little bit with this topic this past week. What I have come up with is our run defense, and it needs to get fixed fast! Michael Bennett expressed disdain for how poorly they played and that it’s not how they want to play.

Gopher MVP

Cobb had himself his own epic pic moment on Saturday on 3rd and long TD run

Mali – Cobb. Man, I’m glad he’s a senior.

MDotySr – Cobb was a beast!

Patrick – Cobb

Ken – David Cobb

Scott – Carl Spackler

WVa – The aforementioned run game made Cobb look really good. No, Cobb made himself look really good against the Buckeyes on Saturday. He will be running on Sundays and like Mali, I too am happy he is a senior.

B1G Coach MVP

Mali – Wisconsin’s Anderson. Sure, it’s not hard to say “Give it to Gordon”… but he did it, and emphatically leveraged the Western Division’s hierarchy.

MDotySr – Pat Fitzgerald for beating ND!

Patrick – Jerry Kill

Ken – Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald

Scott – Jerry Kill

WVa – There’s very few coaches that get everything out of their players. Granted, the Gophers should have been up for Saturdays game, it was a chance for them to show they belonged and I for one agree they do. The weather was a great equalizer, but Jerry Kill is an even better one. With all that he has been through over the past few years, those players will run through a frozen block wall for him. (See my Rumblin’ on Friday for more on Kill)

Offensive

PATRICK – JT Barrett. He disappeared in the second half but came back in OT>

WVa – Ezekiel Elliott has slowly pushed himself to becoming the leader of this team, his yards on Saturday were some of the hardest 109 he will ever gain, and it opened things up for Barrett’s read option in OT.

tOSU O-line MVP

KEN – Taylor Decker

MDOTYSR – Jacoby Boren

MALI – Taylor Decker

SCOTT – Nobody.

PATRICK – The line that played in the first half and OT.

WVa – Jacoby Boren has fought for his football life each and every week and was in a war on Saturday. They threw everything large at him and he did a great job.

tOSU Offensive Top Play

Run in OT much easier than earlier runs

KEN- Barrett’s 1st TD in overtime

MDOTYSR – The 17 yard run by JT in overtime downed at the five yard line.

MALI – Barrett’s final TD in the second OT

SCOTT – The 17 yard run by JT in overtime.

PATRICK – Barrett’s run in the first OT.

WVa – no-brainer here for sure. The run itself took back momentum from PSU who had it the entire second half.

tOSU Offensive Unsung

KEN- Jeff Heuerman

MDOTYSR – Jeff Heuerman

MALI – Nick Vannett… pretty good day blocking

SCOTT – Jeff Heuerman

PATRICK – Not sure anyone was unsung this week.

WVa – How about botht TE’s? They are the best TE’s in America right now as practically a matched pair. Their blocking skills are ridiculous. If they ever become primary on a hot route . . , look out!

Defensive

Bosanator Award

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

KEN – Joey Bosa

MDOTYSR – Darron Lee was all over the place from the very start.

MALI – Bosa

SCOTT – Darron Lee was The Man.

PATRICK – Joey Bosa. Was a beast Saturday.

WVa – Bosa is a clear choice every week, but I am starting to believe that teams just will not take their eyes off of Bennett.

Bosanator Award Part Two

__(ツ)__

KEN – Adolphus Washington

MDOTYSR – Joey Bosa

MALI – Bosa

SCOTT – Joey Bosa

PATRICK – Again, Joey Bosa

WVa – I am in agreement with Ken here, Washington is another reason Bosa is having the year he is. Teams cannot double team three guys on the line so someone is coming!

tOSU Defensive Top Play

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Ouch Hack!

KEN – Bosa’s game winning sack

MDOTYSR – Bosa running over a blocker for the game ending sack!

MALI – Tyvis’ Interception

SCOTT – Bosa and the walk off sack.

PATRICK – Bosa’s walkoff sack.

WVa – Tyvis’ INT was a thing of beauty and maybe should give him an opportunity to catch the ball on offense?

tOSU Defensive Unsung

KEN – Tyvis Powell

MDOTYSR – Doran Grant

MALI -Josh Perry… more tackles than PSU’s top guy (see below)

SCOTT – Doran Grant

PATRICK – Joshua Perry. That was the quietest 18 tackles I’ve ever seen in a game

WVa – This again is an easy choice. Even when Perry made a ridiculous play on TV they tried to give credit to the guys up front, Perry is fighting through a lot of second level blocking and winning. Tough match-ups each week.

Odds And Ends, Them And TTUN

tOSU Special Teams MVP

KEN – Cam Johnston

MDOTYSR – Aussie Aussie Aussie

MALI – Bryce Haynes; perfect snaps yet again

SCOTT – Aussie Dudes.

PATRICK – Cam Johnston

WVa – Didn’t I already rename this the Aussie award before?

tOSU Needs Improvement

KEN – Play calling

MDOTYSR – Play Calling

MALI – Whew… how much space do you have? I’m going to go with JT’s confidence . . ,

SCOTT – Play Calling

PATRICK – Jalin Marshall and his punt returning

WVa – Play calling, or they have got to get a better back-up plan for if/when JT goes down for good. It doesn’t say a lot when you bring in the back-up one play and then replace him with RB’s and WR’s in wildcat for the next several plays.

Penn St MVP

A force to be reckoned with

KEN – Mike Hull

MDOTYSR – Mike Hull

MALI – Mike Hull. Warrior

SCOTT – Hack

PATRICK – Mike Hull. Kid will play on Sunday.

WVa – I told Ben Jones who reports for the Nittany Lions that I believe Hull is a better LB than Poz, and I will stand by that after Saturday night.

TTUN Not MVP

KEN – Brady Hoke: 4th and 4 from their 43, down 21-3 and he punts. Not a good message to send to your team and fans.

MDOTYSR – Braylon Edwards for his tweet about Funchess.

MALI – Whatever idiot decided that it was a good idea to plant a stake in MSU’s field pregame

SCOTT – Brady Hoke.

PATRICK – Frank Clark. Again, kid will play on Sunday.

WVa – How about the AD? The NFL never has an issue firing a coach six games into the season, why should a college team? Give the defensive coordinator the rest of the year, then get Harbaugh

tB1G Coach MVP

KEN – Bo Pelini: he just hands the ball off to Abdullah and steps aside.

MDOTYSR – Tim Beckman of Illinois (just may of saved his job)

MALI – Bo Pelini. Quietly, Nebraska is sneaking into the conference title discussion

SCOTT – Tim Beckman of Illinois

PATRICK – Mark Dantonio. Loved his remarks after the game.

WVa – Agree with Mali here, there’s a chance now that the Huskers could be the team in final four discussions later on. Could be his best coaching job since being there.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-awards-penn-state.html/feed0tBBC Game Preview: Iowa Hawkeyeshttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-game-preview-iowa-hawkeyes.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tbbc-game-preview-iowa-hawkeyes
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-game-preview-iowa-hawkeyes.html#commentsWed, 16 Oct 2013 17:00:33 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=38888The #4/3 Buckeyes (6-0, 2-0) host the Fightin’ Ferentzs’ of Iowa (4-2, 1-1) for an afternoon game in Columbus on Saturday. Up until a couple years ago, I always considered this a match-up of two teams with similar philosophies. Now, I see the game as the “new/improved” Ohio State playing a Tressel-ball bound team with less […]

The #4/3 Buckeyes (6-0, 2-0) host the Fightin’ Ferentzs’ of Iowa (4-2, 1-1) for an afternoon game in Columbus on Saturday. Up until a couple years ago, I always considered this a match-up of two teams with similar philosophies. Now, I see the game as the “new/improved” Ohio State playing a Tressel-ball bound team with less quality athletes, in Iowa.

Iowa under 15th year coach Kirk Ferentz are 104-76 (.578). Other than the team uniform’s similarity to the Pittsburgh Steelers (thanks, Hayden), Iowa is noted for cranking out offensive linemen (Bollman, you listening?) and having a stoic note-taking, gum-chewing head coach.

Coming off an very impressive 11-2 season in 2009, Iowa AD Gary Barta decided to elevate Kirk into the Hayden Fry pantheon with a contract extension through the year 2020 at $3.75 million per year, per HawkCentral.. With this contract, that’s a lot of chewing gum and notepads. Since the impressive contract extension, Iowa has been a less-than-impressive 19-19.

Back to football: Iowa ended their non-con portion at 3-1, then opened their B1G slate with an impressive 23-7 win over Minnesota. The next week, the Hawkeyes got roughed up, physically and statistically, against Michigan State, 26-14. Since I see OSU having a better offense but worse defense than MSU, things will not improve for Iowa.

Ohio State on Offense

This will be an interesting part of the game, and I think will determine how close this contest truly is. According to Iowa reader poll (no link necessary), the Hawkeye fans feel their defensive line is strong against the run (88 YPG) and generates not much of a pass rush. Their secondary is pretty much hold-your-breath. The Hawkeye linebacking crew is far and away their best unit.

This plays well for Meyer’s early-game, quick-strike attack. This should be a good week for Braxton to get unlimbered early and continue his downfield friendship with the receiving trio of Devin Smith, Philly Brown Evan Spencer.

This is also the perfect opportunity for the Buckeye offensive line to continue their aggressive play to get (pick a running back) the holes/creases for soul-searing gains. In addition to just the overall benefit of ‘lots of rushing yards’, this should also get the Iowa LB’ers a bit jumpy on play-action and open up the underneath/crossing passing routes as well.

Even though Iowa is only giving up 89 YPG rushing, I see OSU getting double that amount.

Ohio State on Defense

I look at Iowa’s offense as “Wisconsin Lite”. Although the Hawkeyes offense is very balanced (208 yards rushing, 209 passing), they are a run-first team, powered by junior Mark Weisman (6’1”, 245).

As you can see, he is a load, but is more a between-the-tackles runner. Weisman got dinged up last week, but as of now he is listed as ‘Probable’.

Sophomore QB Jake Rudock is fair in terms of efficiency (123.67) and is active with 29 attempts/+200 yards per game. However, his TD/INT ratio of 8 to 6 means he’s just as likely to have a negative significant play as a positive one. His main target is junior WR Kevonte Martin-Manley (6’1”, 205) who has pulled in 26 passes for 225 yards and 1 TD.

The Buckeye defense needs to replicate their Wisconsin game plan, or even something similar to Michigan State’s plan against Iowa two weeks ago.

In that game, Iowa’s run/pass play ratio was 46/16. Commit to stop the run to force the Hawkeyes to pass. The likely return of Adolphus Washington and Tommy Schutt will provide a nice rotation for the defensive line. Once Iowa is out of their running game, their play-action/tight end passing game becomes inconsequential. So, while OSU focuses on shutting down the Iowa running attack, our secondary (Roby, Grant, anybody?) needs to somewhat cover KMM to prevent anything maturing down field. Iowa’s season play average of run/pass is 47/29 to this point. If the Buckeyes flip that ratio, they win.

Special Teams

Last week I did a couple paragraphs on Special Teams, due solely to the exceptional talents of Northwestern’s Venric Mark. This week, I’m putting something in this section because of Iowa’s legendary ineptness with their punt return teams. According to Pat Harty of HawkCentral:

The same Iowa program that used to make other teams look foolish and unprepared on special teams is now having the same thing done to it. Being fooled six times in a row in three-and-a-half seasons demands an explanation.

Something has been amiss for several years with Iowa’s special teams play. They know it and opponents know it. We also know that Urban isn’t shy about a scrimmage play on 4th down; he may want to keep an open mind and punt on 4th down.

It may be one of the longest plays from scrimmage we have on Saturday.

Wrap Up

So, how’s it going to shake out? The line has OSU -17 with the over/under at 55, so Certain Professionals are anticipating something along the lines of a 35-20 (or so) Ohio State win. If the Buckeyes play the way I expect, they’ll cover with ease. If they don’t go full throttle for four quarters, it’s closer to a 10 point margin.

I expect the Buckeyes to use the crowd energy to get out of the gates fast, as they have been. The first quarter should be interesting football, with OSU looking to put points up early. They will jump out to an early lead, then like an anaconda, squeeze the life out of Iowa’s running game. If OSU can maintain offensive momentum through the 1st half and get Iowa out of their running game, you can call in the dogs, because this hunt is over.

There may be a pick-6 in store, just to get warmed up for PSU the following week. Perhaps we’ll see Urban run a fake punt and, once again, Iowa will be totally surprised.

The game is scheduled for a 3:30 PM EST kickoff, so don’t start your tailgating too early. Television coverage is through ABC/ESPN2. Please join us at tBBC for live in-game chat approximately 30 minutes before kickoff. We look forward to seeing you.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-game-preview-iowa-hawkeyes.html/feed1Silver Bullet Points Considers The Impacthttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-considers-the-impact.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=silver-bullet-points-considers-the-impact
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-considers-the-impact.html#commentsThu, 10 Oct 2013 11:54:35 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=38587You’d think I’d choose the obvious for today’s soundtrack, and you’d be wrong, mister. Here’s the tune of the week- Yeaaaaaaah! Buckeye 411 Injury Updates- Tommy Schutt is expected back against Iowa; Adolphus Washington is dinged, but will be fine in two weeks as well. Jordan Hall has what was described as a “joint issue” […]

Injury Updates- Tommy Schutt is expected back against Iowa; Adolphus Washington is dinged, but will be fine in two weeks as well. Jordan Hall has what was described as a “joint issue” in his knee.

Meaningful Awards- Ohio State had three players named B1G “…Of The Week” against Northwestern. Carlos Hyde was the 4th consecutive Buckeye to get “Offensive Player”, Joey Bosa was “Freshman”, and Bradley Roby won the “Special Teams” honors. Celebrate appropriately in ways sanctioned by and approved through the compliance office, fellers! W00t!

Secondary First- At least, that’s where they sit on Coach Meyer’s “List of things that need fixed immediately”, according to his comments on this week’s B1G teleconference. And you get the sense that it transcends Christian Bryant’s injury- a unit that was supposed to help carry the defense has shown itself to be the Achilles Heel thus far into the season, particularly in regards to open-field tackling. This week’s bye couldn’t have come at a better time.

Schedule Woes- Two of my favorite Buckeye writers (and yours, too!) talked about the Ohio State schedule and the challenges that it creates if you look down the road at a possible BCS Title shot. And by “challenges”, I mean it like “Brady Hoke has challenges managing his belt sizes”. It ain’t gonna’ be pretty… even the Wall Street Journal has noticed.

Tony Gerdeman started things off wondering why the narrative against Ohio State’s strength of schedule had started so early, particularly when that wasn’t the case for other schools in the past. Hell, ESPN created the “Let Boise State Play!” narrative to counter the BCS “bad guys”, and now they seem to be denigrating a team on an 18 game winning streak.

Gerd points out something that Ramzy Nasrallah highlights as well- the Buckeyes are damned if they do and damned if they don’t- Beating Wisconsin/Northwestern soundly makes the conference look bad, winning close games makes Ohio State look bad. Nice of our old friend confirmation bias to show up before the holiday season.

This week’s “scandal du jour”- Should Jadeveon Clowney have played last week against Kentucky, or was he being “soft”? We discussed this on Monday- For an amazing athlete with incredible potential, he has a reputation for taking plays off and only going half speed. In a season where he’s had a number of health issues, including possibly being sick/out of shape for the opener, there are questions about his “heart” and how this will translate to the next level.

As fans, we want players who love the school and want to represent the colors/mascots/legacy/state in the same way that we do… we even get frustrated when our favorite professionals leave their franchises and head to greener pastures. We like, as Chuck Klosterman calls it, “cheering for the jerseys”.

But we need to also understand that these young adults are also preparing for their careers- in the classroom or on the field. They need to put forth their best efforts and enjoy the present while keeping the future in mind. That’s the purpose of college, right?

We discussed this in the breakroom here at tBBC today as we were talking about Ken’s Midseason Grades ; is the “future” in the back of Braxton’s mind, and perhaps keeping him from running with the aggression that we saw in his first two years. We didn’t come to a conclusion, but I can tell you that, in my opinion, it’d be a mistake for him not to think long term.

Commentary- Thinking, Long Term

I especially think that college players should take the money and run (as sad as that makes me as a fan) the same way that “regular” students do- if an engineering major has the opportunity to obtain the job of their dreams before “graduation”, why shouldn’t they? In fact, given what we know about the health issues that surround college football players, it makes me feel even more strongly that moving toward their dream career is an important step to take.

Although, with what we heard on Tuesday night, that career may not be around much longer.

In case you missed it, PBS’ Frontline aired their investigation into brain trauma related to football participation, particularly the research into former players from the National Football League. As I watched it, the only thing I found more troubling about the research/results was the League’s continual efforts to deny and defuse, seemingly in order to protect the franchises rather than the players upon whom those franchises depend.

As someone who loves football (obviously), who coached football, and who played football this continues to create in me a number of mixed emotions. I’ve had (that I can remember- Ha!) between 8-10 “bell-rung” moments, four of which were diagnosed as concussions (the others weren’t diagnosed at all). And that’s on top of the fact that, as a lineman I made helmet to helmet contact on nearly ever play during every “full go” practice and game for my eleven year experience. So, on a personal level this research worries me… and may help explain some things to the other members of tBBC who get to work with me.

But I also love what football is- the gracefulness and beauty of athletic achievement, the strategy involved on gameday, the lessons of teamwork and perseverance and resilience. I love the fact that there’s a place in football for every body- kids that can’t play soccer or baseball or basketball can find a role to play on the diversity of a football team.

Or, if answered positively, at least needs to acknowledge some of the jagged edges that come with the good publicity and revenue creation that football can bring to a campus community.

One final thought that I just don’t know what to do with- my wife and I were talking about the Frontline piece and if we’d ever let any of our kids play football. Since we have two girls, my hope for an NFL longsnapper are out the window (still trying for a sousaphone player), but I’m not sure I’d encourage my nephews to follow in the cleat-steps of their dad and I.

‘If kids don’t want to play football, it’ll just die off then, right?’ my wife asked. I thought, and then realized that the current system is set up to counteract this issue: we offer educational opportunities to young adults who may be risking their health for our entertainment. And, as is often discussed, this may be the only option that some of these young adults believe that they have in order to get that education- the trade off is worth it in their minds.

But does that make it right?

Around The NCAA

How The Mighty Have Fallen-Sports Illustrated takes a look at the ways that the “money” programs in Austin (Football, Basketball, Baseball) have wandered away from their potential and their expectations. Interesting to read how even state politics and school presidency issues are impacted by on the court/field issues… but hey, it’s all part of the University’s academic mission, right? Personally, I’m not sure that Mack has lost his way- he’s just not found the “next thing” at quarterback… without Vince and Colt, his career at UT looks pretty pedestrian.

And That’s Considering- All of the “help” the Longhorns have gotten over the years:

But They Look Good, Tho- Texas will be joining Oklahoma in wearing “gold” uniforms for their Red River Shootout matchup this weekend… the great rivalry where you can get tickets for under $75. Man, you’d think Rich Rod was involved…

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-considers-the-impact.html/feed3Silver Bullet Points Ain't Rattledhttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-aint-rattled.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=silver-bullet-points-aint-rattled
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-aint-rattled.html#commentsThu, 19 Sep 2013 11:54:09 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=37811After an exciting week in Berkeley, the Bucks return home in a final warmup before B1G season. As the Rattlers come to town, there’s only one choice for the soundtrack this week. Buckeye 411 Injury Update- The plan is for Braxton to play some on Saturday; reports from practice had him wearing a brace but […]

Injury Update- The plan is for Braxton to play some on Saturday; reports from practice had him wearing a brace but with no noticeable limp. That’s the good news. The “not yet” news is that Adolphus Washington will miss the FAMU visit to Columbus, as the Buckeyes try to ensure that he’ll be healthy for B1G play. Coach Meyer said several times this week that he would be “probable” for Wisconsin.

Good Problem To Have- Meyer seemed most optimistic about the play of the defensive line, and praised Coach Vrable’s work with the “young pups”. Given the pressure that they’ve been able to apply minus Adolphus and Tommy Schutt, you’ve got to think that something is going right in the trenches for the Scarlet and Gray.

And Then- There’s the linebackers, who still have some question marks in place for Ohio State. Meyer emphasized again that the depth is not what it needs to be given some of the “misses” in recruiting in the last four years; fans will remember that several key stars either haven’t panned out as of yet or have left the program altogether. At this point, the ‘Backers haven’t been tested, but with conference play coming up that’s sure to change.

Seeking Hyde- Carlos is back after his three game suspension, but won’t immediately fall into the starting lineup on Saturday. Not only is the current lineup firing on all cylinders, it will take a bit to find a “fit” for Carlos’ game within the offense. In addition, it wouldn’t be fair, according to the coaches, to sit Jordan Hall given the work results that have been produced over the past three weeks.

For The Sake Of Argument- Gene Smith helped schedule this week’s FAMU game in part to bring their amazing band to The Shoe. However, as an FCS school (and not a great one, at that), the game certainly won’t help Ohio State’s “strength of schedule” perception. On the off chance that three or more schools finish undefeated (Alabama, Clemson, Oregon, tOSU), this game might cost the Buckeyes a chance at the Crystal Trophy… Or, as a friend of mine put it, “Gene Smith will have cost the Buckeyes two consecutive chances to play for a national championship”. Discuss.

Smooth- The same goes for Kenny Guiton, who will certainly have a large number of opportunities behind center moving forward. Again, he’s certainly earned the right to do so.

Remember When- Ohio State fans used to envy schools like Southern Cal for their full stable of tailbacks and five star QBs? Pretty nice living, ain’t it?

Young’uns- There’s a lot of anticipation that some of the newer faces for Ohio State will see action this week; Corey (Pittsburgh) Brown spoke at length regarding Eli Apple, Cam Burroughs, and Vonn Bell’s work in practice. Here’s hoping they get to showcase on Saturday.

I’m going to admit up front that I’m a bit different than many fans in this perspective.

Most fans want their coach to make sure that there favorite squadron wins every single game. Hell, as St. Woody said, “Without winners, there’s be no civilization”.

But what made Woody different than many was the fact that winning, while important, was defined for him both on the scoreboard and in the lives of his players off the field and beyond graduation. Most coaches will give that lip service, and many fans will support those ideals, but ultimately they want the scoreboard successes.

Captain

We loved Coach Tressel’s speech, but if he would have had a few less successes against TTUN I’m not sure he would have been long for Columbus. And that’s where I’m a bit different- I’ve always felt that graduation rates and playing by the rules (as stupid as they are, and as much as we should work to change them) are as important to the mission of a program and a University as trophies and titles. It’s why Tressel’s “downfall” hit me so hard.

The reason I bring this up today is due to the recent news regarding a Buckeye captain from the past, Nebraska’s Bo Pelini. After his team collapsed in the second half against an inspired UCLA many who had been criticizing his leadership continued to find ways to wonder if Big Red would be better led by another coach.

After all, Nebraskans are used to winning titles… or at least playing for them. But they also have a legacy of doing things “the Nebraska way”, which is about pride on and off the field. Coach Devaney and Coach Osborne instilled the highest values in the program and sought to do the same in the players and those around Big Red. And many Huskers still feel this way… but their voices are being drowned out by a vocal minority and a media circus that loves controversy.

At a very pragmatic level, this would be a terrible time for Nebraska (or anyone) to start a search for a new head coach- with Southern Cal and Texas likely involved in replacement efforts, the market will certainly be skewed towards copious amounts of cash for people making moves. Heck, I’ve read semi-serious posts saying that Texas should throw $10 million a year to bring Nick Saban to Austin.

Plus, the last time Nebraska replaced a solid coach, they ended up with the Bill Callahan experience.

However, the larger issue that Husker Nation finds themselves discussing is the same one that we’ve been talking about for months and months and months now, and is something that all Universities and fan bases need to determine for themselves. What’s the ultimate purpose of their program?

Because, in a game where there are often obvious winners and losers, success can be incredibly difficult to define.

We’re not going to be able to see the Marching 100 on Saturday due to some unfortunate incidents that FAMU is working to move beyond. But, this performance from 2011 will give you just a taste of what we’re missing… Gene’s decision almost makes sense:

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-aint-rattled.html/feed4Silver Bullet Points Fingershttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-fingers.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=silver-bullet-points-fingers
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-fingers.html#commentsThu, 12 Sep 2013 11:54:18 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=37478As you’re reading this, I’m prepping for the drive from Los Angeles to the Bay Area with the Mrs. for Saturday’s game. Given that we got engaged on the Marin Headlands, this song by one of her favorite performers is the obvious choice for this week’s soundtrack. Gonna’ warn you, though… this week’s reflection is… […]

Injury Update- The question that everyone’s been asking hasn’t yet been answered, as Coach Meyer said that Braxton threw a bit on Wednesday before leaving practice to get more treatment on his knee. Coach commented that the issue isn’t pain, but seems to be “stability”, and that Braxton is adjusting to his knee brace. It would not be surprising to see Kenny G start and be relieved by Miller, nor would it be a shock to have them split time at the position. Both will travel, Coach Meyer indicated that they would know more after Thursday’s practice and that he remained optimistic.

Two Thoughts- 1) The last time Braxton was held out of play in a game he returned to action and performed pretty well. 2) That being said, if Ohio State feels that they can win the game with Smooth Jazz and give Braxton a week (or two) to recover, I wholeheartedly support that decision. Long term goals here, peeps.

Also- Adolphus Washington did not practice on Wednesday, but is expected to travel. His is a bit of a different situation, as the injury is something that can linger. Also, as amazing as Washington is on the field, the Young Bucks are doing good work under Coach Vrable’s direction.

Good News- Corey Linsley is scheduled to play the entire game this week at center, having gotten the clearance to do so from the medical staff after his foot injury has significantly healed

Red, Not Scarlet- A couple of older “back ups” that many are surprised have not gotten the playing time they were expected to were discussed on Wednesday, and Coach Meyer said that it’s a possibility that Bri’onte Dunn and Michael Thomas may end up redshirting if they aren’t going to be a part of the planning this season. He also discussed how he felt that they were “wasted” by the coaches last year, and didn’t want to make the same mistake moving forward.

Getting Defensive- Ryan Shazier talked about the Silver Bullets’ excitement to play Cal, and that they were working diligently to ensure that the Bears didn’t have the success necessary to string together drives and run 100 plays a game. He also spoke about the need to maintain leverage on Cal’s running back Brendan Bigelow, as his ability to get to the edge is a strength that created issues for Oho State last year. However, Shazier mentioned that Bigelow’s talents were helped by a number of small mistakes that the young defense made last season.

Getting Ready- Playing the role of Bigelow this week in practice? Carlos “I’ll be back next week” Hyde. Not too shabby.

Stripes Lost- I guess we’re still doing that now, as Cameron Johnston, Tyquan Lewis, and Trey Johnson all had their black stripes removed today. Woot!

Honors- This week’s Sammy Silverman graphics, for your enjoyment:

This Week In NCAA Shenanigans

In case you missed it, there were a couple of “major” college football stories that broke this week.

Rocket Surgery

First up, Sports Illustrated’s take-down of Oklahoma State, which has been broken into a five part series for your pageviews enjoyment. Led by world renowned raffle-justice-seeker George Dohrmann, the article is co-authored by Thayer Evans, a media member that Cowboy fans would say compares most closely with Mark May in his ability to be unbiased.

Oh, and Michigan Man Les Miles is prominently featured. Wheee.

Here are links to the stories as we have them, as well as a TL;DR summary

Money- Cowboy players received no-show jobs, $$$ handshakes, and payouts based on their gameday performances

Academics- Cowboy players had tutors that did some of their work and professors who were willing to “adjust” their grades to help with eligibility

Drugs -(Thurs.) Allegations of drug usage in the program, including troubling accounts of the ways that OkSU handled these types of situations. Dohrmann says that this aspect of the story is the one that stands out to him as the most “shocking”.

Sex (Fri.)- The “hostess” situation that we’ve seen at other schools was also in Stillwater. No, not the Hostess situation that they have in Michigan.

Fallout (Next week)- What has happened to the players that were part of the program but are now “cast aside”. I haven’t read this, but you can guess that the players, many of whom were dismissed from the program before graduation, aren’t doing so well.

As should be expected, the response has been quick from former players and the University, as well as other members of the national media. One “counter point” that I’ve come to appreciate is the “Pistols Firing” blog, who not only does a good job at presenting the other sides of these allegations but also processing his own thoughts on the matter. I appreciate his ability to not only blast holes in the story but also acknowledge that there are more than likely some truths in the reports- something that I hope we also were able to do during the Tatoo-gate situation a few years ago. As a former student athlete at OkSU, he wants things fixed but the right things and not just something that people are pulling out of thin air.

A lot of speculation about NCAA responses to this story were flooding the interwebs on Monday and today, in spite of the fact that much of it occurred beyond the “statute of limitations” that the Association holds to. Personally, I think they’ve already shown us their response- They didn’t care about South Carolina or Oregon’s “Money” situation, they didn’t even respond to North Carolina’s “Academics” issue, and have been dragging their feet about Miami’s “Drugs and Sex” issues. The best indicator of future behavior is past behavior.

That being said, as I read the first two parts, a few things stood out to me.

I believe that these things happened at OkSU, because they seem to happen everywhere. Again, this type of thing (academic help, financial benefits) happened at the D3 school that I played/coached at, so I have a hard time imagining that things suddenly get “clean” in the big show.

For people who were getting help with money and grades, there are certainly a lot of people who couldn’t manage to be successful at OkSU.

I don’t doubt for a minute that there’s some “hackery” going on here with the authors; we’ve witnessed that first hand.

Where’s the proof? There’s a lot of smoke, but no documented or tangible fire (*cough emails cough*). Seems that 10 months could have come up with something, right?

Actual Size

And this latter point was really brought home late Wednesday when the second “scandal du jour” popped up: Allegations that NFL agents funneled money to players at Tennessee, Mississippi State, and two time champion Alabama. The difference between these two accounts? While SI was playing Encyclopedia Brown in Stillwater, Yahoo! sent Sherlock Holmes (aka Charles Robinson) in to look at the SEC allegations. And, as you have come to expect from Robinson/Yahoo!, there’s proof in the form of phone records, travel documents, and Wells Fargo paper trails with players names on them.

I’ll let you read through the report, but as you do so you should keep this in mind: Tennessee and Mississippi State are both currently on NCAA probation, and the violations would fall within the window that would categorize Alabama a “repeat offender”. The Tide tends to be on probation about every seven years; this time they just may be ahead of schedule… and if so, it’s possible that the last two national titles would be “vacated”. As if the Notre Dame fans at your office weren’t insufferable enough.

Commentary: Blame Game

It’s been interesting watching the response to these stories as they’ve broken. EDSBS had a great article on Monday asking what the point of the Sports Illustrated report was- are they interested in bringing the Cowboys to justice, tearing down the corrupt NCAA situation, or just getting page views and revenue?

Coupled with the defense of Johnny Manziel’s financial opportunities, it’s easy to see that the tide has turned in the ways that these types of stories are covered. With this latest trend of attacking the idea of “Amateurism” and the NCAA’s seeming disconnect and hypocrisy, my only question is as follows:

What The Hell Took You All So Long?

Look, this goes beyond Ohio State’s problems in 2010-11. Our friend ParagonSC and others in the Southern Cal beat were pointing out the NCAA inconsistencies during the Bush Era (not that one), and we built on their ideas to help point out the problems with both the “system” and it’s guardian as the walls were falling down in Columbus.

But the things we were saying then- that the NCAA is inconsistent, that the game has moved beyond it’s ability to control, that “amateurism” is a lie given the amount of money involved and the processes that universities invest in to ensure that it stays in the right pockets- all of these things are as true now as they were then, it’s just taken a while for the folks in the mainstream to get their heads out of their boardrooms and realize it.

You’d think that we’d feel somewhat vindicated; the work that Eric put into this article is evidence enough that there’s something amiss, if only someone had chosen to look at it. Heck, I’ve spent the better part of the summer in this space trying to point out that the disconnect between “college” and “athletics” is just a shade larger than the Grand Canyon.

Motivation

Instead, though, I feel as if the money again becomes the driving issue- instead of for the institutions or the players, this time for the “media outlets” involved. The articles linked above point this out clearly… the desire to investigate and bring this issue to the fore is totally due to Sports Illustrated and Yahoo! and others realization that this story will be what helps them create revenue.

Again, it’s not because of “what’s right”, it’s due to “what’s best for the bottom line”.

Which is why this is so frustrating for me- we are where we are in college sports because there’s been a lack of accountability, and part of this is due to the “third estate” being unwilling or uninterested in maintaining that role. Compare the Oklahoma State and Ohio State scandals- OkSU has local media coming to the defense of the program; at Ohio State, the local media acted as if there was blood in the water.

If that level of criticism had existed across the board, rather than merely an investment in copious amounts of cash, there may not be a “system”, or at least not a broken one.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/silver-bullet-points-fingers.html/feed10Ohio State News And Notes: Silver Bullet Points 9.10.13http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-news-and-notes-silver-bullet-points-9-10-13.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ohio-state-news-and-notes-silver-bullet-points-9-10-13
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-news-and-notes-silver-bullet-points-9-10-13.html#commentsTue, 10 Sep 2013 11:45:20 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=37469Notes and thoughts as Ohio State wraps up the SDSU game and gets ready for Cal! No Big Deal- The cross country trek and it’s possible challenges for the Buckeyes seems to be getting more press than it should. The Buckeyes will fly into Oakland Friday morning and will be fully rested, able bodied young […]

]]>Notes and thoughts as Ohio State wraps up the SDSU game and gets ready for Cal!

No Big Deal- The cross country trek and it’s possible challenges for the Buckeyes seems to be getting more press than it should. The Buckeyes will fly into Oakland Friday morning and will be fully rested, able bodied young men, ready to face Cal Saturday evening. We are still talking about finely tuned, Division 1 athletes, whom still attend college and may be accustomed to missing a few winks now and then. I guess that’s why Philly Brown talked about the trip to Cal as being a business trip for the team.

Day to Day- Two key injuries occurred during the SDSU game last Saturday: The obvious being Braxton Miller and secondly Adolphus Washington. According to Coach Meyer, Braxton will be a day to day assessment of a sprained MCL, and mentioned in his press conference earlier today that Miller seemed like he was really feeling the first 48 hours after his injury, and was a little stiff. Delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS is usually felt within the first 48 hours of an injury or major muscle break down event. Braxton, the trainers and coach Meyer will know more in the following days. Adolphus Washington suffered a groin injury during last weeks game as well and will also be a day to day decision as to whether or not he will start. Michael Bennett spoke on Monday about his having a similar injury last year, and that rushing back is not the ideal to ensure complete healing.

Existential Dilemma- Coach Meyer will have a major decision to make before Saturday depending on Miller’s progress. Miller is notoriously tough and a “gamer” and will surely be campaigning to be put into Saturday’s game against Cal. Meyer mentioned Miller wanted back in the very same game later in the half against SDSU where he suffered his injury. However, Kenny Guiton has more than proved himself worthy of the start if Miller is less than healthy and Guiton’s leadership skills are solid enough to be elected captain as a back up quarterback. According to Meyer, Guiton’s knowledge of the offense is almost unmatched. In what situation does Coach Meyer start making travel plans for 3 and 4th string Quarterbacks (on Monday it sounded as if all four would travel)? How does Coach Meyer weigh the trainers and doctors opinions against those of his trusted starting Quarterback? Maybe Meyer can get some assistance from Cal fans on deep thinking and contemplating the cosmos.

Pump Up the Volume- Cal’s offense is night and day from the Cal the Buckeyes saw a year ago. This is partly to do with new personnel but mostly due to the Bear’s new staff. With Cal picking up Coach Sonny Dykes from Louisiana Tech, Cal now runs a very fast paced, up tempo offense much like what Tech had in the past. With just over 100 average offensive plays per game, the Buckeyes Defense will have to be disciplined mentally and physically to ensure mistakes and penalties are kept to a minimum. Last Saturday Cal’s fans could be heard booing Northwestern Wildcat defensive players claiming they were feigning injury to slow the pace of the game. When asked about this on Monday, Michael Bennett said that he has to fake not being hurt most of the time, so he doesn’t know how to do the opposite.

Defensive Score- Although the box score seems flatter than most expected against the cupcake schedule thus far, the Buckeyes have yet to accomplish a defensive score, kickoff return to score or punt return to score this season. The Buckeyes dropped yet again in the polls this week despite a convincing win against SDSU with a back up quarterback in for 3/4 or the game. Maybe just maybe the pollsters would be more inclined to vote the Buckeyes higher if the team seemed more well rounded or dynamic. This team is still reaching for balance, aggression and an identity. Accomplishing those three things might sway the powers that be to bump the Buckeyes up the preseason rankings ladder.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-news-and-notes-silver-bullet-points-9-10-13.html/feed4Are You Not Entertained? Spring Game 2013http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/are-you-not-entertained-spring-game-2013.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=are-you-not-entertained-spring-game-2013
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/are-you-not-entertained-spring-game-2013.html#commentsSun, 14 Apr 2013 11:54:16 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=33295Great game, great venue and it was just good to see the Scarlet and Gray back on the football field again this Saturday. Granted, we didn’t really “learn” much in this practice with a scoreboard, but there were some things that stood out. We’ll continue to talk more about this in the coming days, but […]

]]>Great game, great venue and it was just good to see the Scarlet and Gray back on the football field again this Saturday.

Granted, we didn’t really “learn” much in this practice with a scoreboard, but there were some things that stood out. We’ll continue to talk more about this in the coming days, but I’m excited about the pistol formation that we saw throughout the scrimmage… yet another angle to attack and destroy.

We all identified things that we were looking for- let’s see how our folks did. We’ll be using my elaborate and completely subjective scoring system which awards as follows: 2 points for a correct answer, 1 point for a partial, mockery for everything else.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/are-you-not-entertained-spring-game-2013.html/feed4Wednesday Night Rumble: Eyes Onhttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/wednesday-night-rumble-eyes-on.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wednesday-night-rumble-eyes-on
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/wednesday-night-rumble-eyes-on.html#commentsWed, 02 Jan 2013 22:42:07 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=293892013 is here, I hope everyone rang in the New Year safe and sound but still had a lot of fun! With a new year brings the opportunity to look forward to what we are expecting and would like to see at this time next year. Let’s rumble! No drop off on the d-line For […]

]]>2013 is here, I hope everyone rang in the New Year safe and sound but still had a lot of fun! With a new year brings the opportunity to look forward to what we are expecting and would like to see at this time next year. Let’s rumble!

Next Man Up

No drop off on the d-line

For the first time in who knows how long, Ohio State will go into the upcoming football season replacing all four starters on its defensive front line. Gone are Jonathan Hankins, John Simon, Nathan Williams and Garret Goebel. The guys taking their place have big shoes to fill as Hankins may potentially be a top ten pick in the NFL draft, Williams and Simon were deadly on the ends (most notably when on the field together) while Goebel came into his own in 2011 and really blossomed in 2012 as a solid run stuffer. Goebel and Simon were named captains at the end of fall practice.

Fortunately, the Buckeyes appear to be loaded. We watched true freshman Tommy Schutt, Adolphus Washington and Noah Spence see significant snaps, some in critical junctures of big games. Junior Joel Hale was solid when called on. Another junior, Michael Bennett, has the potential to be the next “big time” defensive lineman at Ohio State. More troops are on the way as incoming freshman Tracy Sprinkle, Joey Bosa and Michael Hill are being looked at to perform as well as the Schutt-Spence-Washington trio did in 2012 or better.

There’s also the enigma that is J.T. Moore. He has the size and speed to be a steady hand in the rotation but has yet to show an ability to stay on the field when opportunities arise. Along with Moore, what will become of Chris Carter? Carter has the size to shut down run lanes in the manner that Hankins did in his career, but does he have the desire?

When spring practice opens up, the Silver Bullets are going to be under the magnifying glass, perhaps no position more so than the linebackers.

Nobody questions that midway through his sophomore season Ryan Shazier became what we all thought he would be during his freshman campaign. He is the leader of the defense, a solid tackler and emerging playmaker.

Etienne Sabino has graduated and (fortunately) Storm Klein is out of eligibility and is graduating too. It leaves the question: Who’s the next man up?

We’ll see Curtis Grant (a former number one overall in the country linebacker recruit by many of the nerds who track these things) get another shot to prove he was worth the hype. It doesn’t leave us with much optimism seeing that he couldn’t crack into the rotation last year even when Sabino was out with injury. We never want to write a player off, especially one with his size, speed and potential, but if Grant sees significant time on the field or somehow cracks into the starting lineup, it will feel almost like a bonus.

Sophomores Joshua Perry, David Perkins and Cam Williams will get looks, but past them there isn’t anything to write home about so much so that there is literally almost no depth behind them. No offense to Craig Fada, Connor Crowell or Joe Burger, I’m just being realistic. It is why Urban Meyer has his eyes firmly set on undecided recruits Mike Mitchell and Trey Johnson. They both project to be factors immediately should they decide to make Columbus their home for the next four years.

Accuracy and decision making

I’m looking forward to seeing the progress that Braxton Miller makes in his second season in Meyer’s offense. Miller is a highlight waiting to happen on nearly every snap, but Wisconsin may have come up with the solution: Find players, such as Dezmen Southward, that can contain Miller one-on-one in the open field (no easy task but something they accomplished in Madison last year) and force his receivers to win the subsequent one-on-one’s thus making Miller beat you with his arm and not his legs.

There Is No Off Season

Another major negative to come from the Wisconsin game was that they proved when forced to make a decision, sometimes Braxton Miller can hesitate just enough to get himself into trouble. This is where another year of being in Meyer’s offense will help. Instead of making decisions, we should see Miller simply react in 2013.

Don’t underestimate the positive effects of the work Miller put in out in San Diego with quarterback guru George Whitfield. The client list alone for Whitfield is enough to make you understand that the guy knows what he is doing. The guy who put his stamp on names like Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Johnny Manziel, Landry Jones, E.J. Manuel and Tajh Boyd spent some quality time with number 5 for the Ohio State Buckeyes? Yes, please.

Quick hitters

We discussed the defensive line, well how about the offensive line? Losing one senior (Reid Fragel) on what turned out to be a pretty solid front five means the 2013 offensive line should be dominant. I’m guessing Braxton Miller sleeps well.

Ben Buchanan is graduating. Who punts in 2013?

At the time of the writing, we still have no word on if Bradley Roby or Carlos Hyde are NFL-bound or coming back to Ohio State. Selfishly I’d like to see them both back, but I can understand and see the reasons why both may go. Hyde will be in a crowded backfield with Rod Smith, Bri’ontee Dunn and Warren Ball. The Buckeyes also get Jordan Hall back (medical redshirt approved) and incoming freshman Ezekial Elliot seems like an all-world type talent that is going to push for reps as well. Roby is being discussed amongst the top 5-10 corners to be picked, which means a lot of money should he declare for the NFL.

The new court at the Schottenstein Center is beautiful! I love the throwback to the old St. John says with the state of Ohio in the center. The Big Ten logo shadowed in the paint is also a nice change to having it emblazoned on the floor and sticking out like a sore thumb.

I’m still not sold on the “The Big Ten is to basketball what the SEC is to football” for a couple of reasons: 1. Unless they win the tournament in April, it can be as good as it wants but it won’t matter. 2. I don’t believe the SEC is what everyone else thinks it is in football. You can bet there will be more on this in upcoming weeks.

Metallica track of the week

We kickoff 2013 and our first MTOTW of the new year with a classic: Creeping Death from the Orion Music and More festival in June of 2012 at Atlantic City’s Bader Field!